Planning Wedding Decor: A Guide To Styling Your Big Day

Planning wedding decorations can be stressful, but it's a great way to express your personality as a couple. You should consider the venue and its existing features, such as landscaped gardens or stained glass windows, and how you can highlight these with your decorations. If you're getting married outdoors, you may not need many decorations, as you don't want to detract from the scenery. If you're planning to set up the venue yourself, it's a good idea to do a dry run beforehand, and to allow plenty of time for setting up. You can also hire a stylist, florist or planner to help with the decor.

Choosing decorations that reflect your personality as a couple

Wedding decor is one of the best ways to let your personalities shine on your big day. Choosing decorations that are beautiful, cohesive, and reflective of your tastes as a couple requires a good amount of planning.

First, consider the venue and how you can design your wedding decor to highlight its details. If you’re getting married at an outdoor venue, such as a beach, lakefront, or anywhere else with a view, you may not need much decor to begin with. In those cases, going overboard with decor could detract from your venue’s scenery, which is likely one of the reasons you chose it.

If you have a tight turnaround with your venue, want to change up the room a lot between the ceremony and reception, or are planning ambitious decor, consider hiring a stylist, florist, or planner who can help with the styling. If you're planning to do the venue set-up yourself, try to do a dry run beforehand to see how it's all going to look. Set up a sample table and take photos of how it should look, with shots of the centrepieces or runners and the individual place settings.

To stay organised, separate your decor by location. For example, if you're having your ceremony outside, hosting cocktail hour in a pavilion and then having the reception in a barn, put all the outside ceremony decor in one pile, the pavilion cocktail decor in another pile, and the barn reception decor in a third pile. Don’t mix them unless there are items that are going to be used in multiple locations.

Finally, remember that setting up your wedding decor can be stressful and time-consuming. Double, triple, or even quadruple the amount of time you think it will take to set up your venue and style your wedding.

Hiring a stylist, florist or planner

Planning decorations for a wedding can be stressful, so it's important to be organised. Wedding decor is a great way to let your personalities shine, but it requires a good amount of planning. If you have a tight turn-around with your venue, want to change up the room a lot between the ceremony and reception, or are planning ambitious decor, you might want to consider hiring a stylist, florist or planner.

A stylist, florist or planner can help you to create a cohesive look that reflects your tastes as a couple. They can also take care of the set-up, which can be time-consuming, especially if you're planning to do it yourself. Tasks like hanging festoon lights, blowing up balloons, or tying bows can take longer than you think, so it's worth bearing this in mind.

If you're hiring a stylist, florist or planner, be sure to communicate your vision clearly. Send them photos of your venue, and discuss how you can highlight its best features. For example, if you're getting married outdoors, you might not need much decor to begin with, and going overboard could detract from the scenery.

It's also a good idea to do a dry run of the set-up beforehand, especially if you're planning to do it yourself. This will help you to see how everything will look and ensure that you have all the necessary elements. If you're hiring a professional, they can take care of this for you and ensure that the decor is set up efficiently and effectively.

Highlighting existing features of your venue

When it comes to wedding decorations, it's important to consider the existing features of your venue. This could include built-in accent walls, landscaped gardens, fountains, stained glass windows, lighting fixtures, or ceiling beams. By highlighting these details, you can create a cohesive and beautiful space that reflects your personalities and tastes as a couple.

One way to do this is by keeping the decor simple and letting the venue's existing features shine. For example, if you're getting married outdoors, at a beach, lakefront, or anywhere with a view, you may not need much decor at all. In these cases, going overboard with decorations could detract from the natural scenery, which is likely one of the reasons you chose the venue in the first place.

Consider how you can use the existing features to your advantage. For instance, if there are already lighting fixtures in place, you may not need to add additional lighting. Or, if the venue has stained glass windows, you could incorporate those colours into your decor palette.

To get an idea of how your decorations will work with the existing features, it's a good idea to do a dry run beforehand. Set up a sample table with centrepieces, runners, and place settings. This will help you visualise how everything will come together and ensure that your decorations complement, rather than overwhelm, the venue's existing charm.

Organising decorations by location

Firstly, consider the existing features of your venue. If you're getting married outdoors, for example, you may not need much decor. In fact, going overboard with decorations could detract from the natural scenery. If your venue has built-in accent walls, landscaped gardens, fountains, stained glass windows, lighting fixtures, or ceiling beams, think about how you can design your wedding decor to highlight these details.

Next, divide your decorations by location. For example, if you're having your ceremony outside, hosting cocktail hour in a pavilion, and then having the reception in a barn, create separate piles for each location. This will make it easier when setting up, so you're not wasting time looking for specific items.

If you're planning to set up the venue yourself, it's recommended to do a dry run beforehand to see how it will all look. Set up a sample table with centrepieces, runners, and place settings, and take photos for reference.

Finally, remember that setting up wedding decor can be time-consuming, especially if you're doing it yourself. Double or even triple the amount of time you think it will take, especially for tasks like hanging lights, blowing up balloons, or tying bows.

Setting up decorations in advance

Firstly, consider the venue and any existing decorative features. If you're getting married outdoors, for example, you may not need much additional decor. Highlight the natural beauty of your venue by keeping decorations simple and elegant.

Next, create a checklist and organise your decorations by location. For example, if you have an outdoor ceremony, a cocktail hour in a pavilion, and a reception in a barn, separate your decorations into distinct piles for each area. This will streamline the setup process and ensure nothing gets overlooked or misplaced.

Additionally, prepare your decorations in advance by removing any unnecessary clutter. This will make it easier to transport and set up your decorations on the day. It's also a good idea to do a dry run beforehand, especially if you're planning ambitious decor or want to transform the room between the ceremony and reception. Set up a sample table, centrepieces, and place settings to get an idea of how everything will look and take photos for reference.

Finally, be realistic about the time required for setup. Tasks like hanging lights, blowing up balloons, or tying bows can take longer than expected. Double or even triple the time you think you'll need to avoid feeling rushed and ensure a smooth and stress-free setup process.

Frequently asked questions